Clamping devices that lock in a closed position are well known in the art. Applications for such locking clips range from doctors' surgical clips to cigarette clips to heat sink clips for use on an electronic test board. Such clips must provide a tight clamping grip when locked, and yet must be easily unlocked to enable removal of the gripped object. The present invention provides a universal locking clip which is easily and inexpensively manufactured and yet which provides improved clamping functions.
Wire bending kits of conventional design include a die cast aluminum jig; a heat treated, notched, cutting blade; long and short steel leverage bending tubes; and an assortment of hardened steel bending pins. Such a wire bending kit is manufactured by McMaster-Carr and sold under Model No. 9675K2. The jig of such kits can be fastened in a vise or mounted on a workbench. By using the bending pins mounted on the jig, or the slots in the jig, such parts as springs, clamps, conduit hangers and many other parts and devices can be made.
However, conventionally designed tools are not suited for rapid and convenient home manufacture of the universal clip of the present invention. The conventional tools are awkward for use by an unskilled consumer because the shape and position of the bends placed in the wire is determined by the skill of the user. There are no built-in features to predetermine the shape and position of each bend or crook in the wire necessary to form the universal clip. Also, the conventional bending tubes are not suited for making crooks near the end of a wire and will not accommodate a crooked or bent wire that requires additional shaping or bending. Thus, there has arisen a need for a kit suitable for home use designed for the easy and efficient manufacture of special purpose universal clips.